A Little Love 2: The Mini Trickster
by Genocide Never Again
Summary: A sequel to 'A Little Love'. It's been several weeks since Marui turned chibi and Yanagi's been a bad boy and not got rid of the chibi juice! What happens when Niou drinks it? HaruMaru
1. Chapter 1

**Phantom DLizz** requested that I do a rewrite of A Little Love but with Niou so I decided to do a sequel. I would also like to apologise to **Phantom DLizz** for not being able to make Niou the uke. I just can't do it, my brain goes into meltdown (the bad kind) whenever I think of it. Hopefully, Niou being chibi and more innocent will make up for it. I would also like to say that this fic won't be updated as quickly as A Little Love since I haven't got as much pre-written and I've got a load of homework and coursework on the way. I've got the general layout in my head though! This is set about three weeks after Marui turned chibi.

**Disclaimer:** Prince Of Tennis belongs to the genius of Konomi Takeshi.**_

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**_A Little Love 2: The Mini Trickster_**

**_Chapter One_**

"Game, set and match! 7-5, Niou-senpai wins!" Akaya called out as Niou smirked at Marui who was sitting on the ground, panting heavily. It was Sunday afternoon, a regulars only practice and Niou and Marui had just played a match. Niou jumped over the net and helped Marui to his feet, hooking an arm round his waist as the duo walked over to the bench.

"Damnit, 'Haru, did you have to go all out? I'm shattered…" Marui moaned as he collapsed on the bench. Niou shrugged as he handed Marui a packet of gum and grabbed the sports bottle standing next to him.

"Sorry Bunta but after missing out on a whole week of tennis you really need to practice." Niou said as he lifted the bottle to his lips. Yanagi looked over at that moment and his eyes opened.

"Niou, wait!" He called out but it was too late. Niou swallowed a large gulp from the bottle and almost immediately turned green. He dropped the bottle, the cap falling off, and fled towards the bathroom. Marui blinked in surprise and looked down to look at the liquid dripping on to the ground. The puddle was a bright blue but it changed after a couple of seconds to pink.

"Hey, this looks like the stuff that turned me chibi…" Marui said, paling slightly before jumping up and running after Niou. Yukimura turned to Yanagi.

"Renji, I thought I told you to get rid of this stuff. Why do I see it here at practice?" Yukimura asked, his smile slightly strained. Yanagi gulped slightly as he closed his eyes again.

"Well, the effects of the juice were rather interesting so I decided to keep a sample to study. I was going to take it to Sadaharu's to study after practice." Yanagi explained Yukimura sighed.

"Just get a cure ready while you're there. We'll talk about this disobedience later." Yanagi fidgeted slightly and Yukimura's eyes narrowed slightly. "Renji?"

"Sadaharu's computer crashed and he has lost a lot of data, including the cure." Yanagi mumbled, backing a way slightly when Yukimura clenched his fist.

"Genichirou?" Yukimura said with his best 'you-are-so-dead' smile. "If you may?" Sanada nodded as he stepped forward.

"Tarundoru!" He yelled as he slapped Yanagi across the face.

"Thank you Genichirou. Renji, just do what you did last time and make a cure." Yukimura said. Yanagi twitched slightly again. "Renji, what is it?"

"The recipe wasn't originally mine and after what happened I decided to delete it. After I deleted it, I was about to get rid of the juice when I decided to study it. Sadaharu also had the recipe but it was erased when computer crashed. I need the juice to make the cure and since there is now only a tiny bit left, we will have to be extremely careful and it is going to take several days to figure what it is made of and how to remake the cure…" Yanagi trailed, honestly starting to fear that Yukimura might kill him. The captain smiled too sweetly to be innocent.

"Genichirou?"

"Tarundoru!"

Whilst all of this was going on, Marui was looking for Niou. He found him quickly enough, in the bathroom where Niou was hanging on to the toilet in an eerie reflection of what had happened to Marui just several weeks before.

"Oh 'Haru…" Marui whispered worriedly as he knelt down next to the Trickster, pulling his boyfriend into his arms and hugging him tightly. Niou held his head in his hands.

"My head feels like it's splitting…" Niou groaned. Marui frowned sadly, burying his nose in Niou's hair as he comforted the boy as best as he could. He held Niou as the pain from the changes his body was making finally overcame the Trickster and he passed out. Marui shifted slightly and pressed a kiss to Niou's sweaty forehead. He looked up as the rest of the team came in. Yukimura knelt down next to the duo, placing a hand on Marui's shoulder and gently stroking Niou's hair.

"What are we going to do?" Marui asked quietly.

"Well, we were planning on going on that training trip tomorrow so we can take Niou with us and his parents won't have to find out." Jackal said slowly as he thought. "The only problem is tonight and finding clothes for Niou to wear." Yanagi cleared his throat and everybody looked at him.

"I still have the clothes that Marui used. There was a 0.02% chance of this happening and I thought that whilst there was still a chance I had better keep them." He said.

"That just leaves what to do for tonight. Is anybody's family out tonight?" Yukimura asked. Yagyuu raised his hand.

"My sister is at a sleepover tonight and my parents have gone to see a play and won't be back until late." He said as he pushed his glasses up. Yukimura nodded and with Marui's help got Niou on to Yagyuu's back.

"Well, that's everything sorted. I'll see everybody tomorrow then. Except you, Renji, I want you to stay here with Inui-san and concentrate on making a cure." Yukimura looked at Yanagi who nodded. With everything sorted, the team started to leave. Yagyuu looked at Marui.

"Marui-kun, would you like to sleep over as well?" He asked. Marui shook his head glumly.

"I can't. It's my little brothers' birthday and I need to get home." He said depressively. Yagyuu nodded and started to leave but was stopped by Marui quickly grabbing his arm. "Tell him…please tell him that I'm sorry, okay? Please?"

"Okay, Marui-kun. I'll tell him." Yagyuu promised. Marui nodded his thanks and, after leaning up and kissing Niou on the cheek, he let go of Yagyuu's arm. Marui watched as the doubles pair left, feeling sad. He had hated being younger and he had the feeling that Niou wouldn't appreciate it anymore than he had.

Marui sighed as Yagyuu and Niou went round a corner and out of his line of sight. He grabbed his bag, looking at the gum that Niou had given him before shaking his head and putting it in his pocket as he started to make his way home. For once in his life, he didn't feel like eating sweets.

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**A/N:** Well, I hope you enjoyed this! Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

I am really, really, really sorry about the long wait but they are giving me way too much Geography homework at college. Updates will probably be once every two weeks. I will tell you all if there are any deviations to that schedule due to coursework or going on holiday or something like that. Anyway, enough of me, now for the long awaited Chapter Two!

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Disclaimer: I do not own Prince Of Tennis, that belongs to Konomi Takeshi. I only own my crazy mind.

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_**Chapter Two**_

Marui's heart soared when he saw Yagyuu coming towards him with a chibi Niou by his side. It fell back down to Earth when he saw how grumpy Niou looked. It plummeted to the other side of the planet when Niou refused to look at him.

"Hey 'Haru." Marui greeted, kneeling down to Niou's eyelevel. The Trickster stubbornly looked away. "I'm sorry I wasn't there yesterday. It was my brothers' birthday and I couldn't miss it." Marui tried again, shifting so that he could see Niou's face. Niou looked the other way and Marui sighed as he sat back on his heels.

"Sorry, Marui-kun. Niou-kun did not appreciate being woken up this morning and his brother saw him when we went to get his stuff." Yagyuu explained as he held out a hand to pull Marui up. A look of understanding crossed the redhead's face as he took the offered hand. That explained why Niou seemed so angry and annoyed. Marui would've felt the same if his brothers had found out.

'_Still, he doesn't have to take it out on me…'_ Marui thought glumly as he glanced at Niou who was sitting several rows in front. They were on a train that would take them near their campsite and Niou was acting normally with everyone but him. Marui felt a little upset about that.

Marui was pulled out of his thoughts by Akaya collapsing into the seat next to him.

"Hey Akaya. I'm surprised you aren't cooing over 'Haru." Marui commented lightly.

"Hey Marui-senpai. I tried to but Niou-senpai's glares were even scarier when he was a kid." Akaya explained as he got comfy. "What about you? I'm surprised you're not sitting next to Niou-senpai." Marui's expression turned glum again.

"'Haru won't talk to me." He said. "I think I hurt his feelings by not being there when he woke up…"

"That's not your fault though. And you shouldn't be losing sleep over it. And before you ask, you've got bags under your eyes." Akaya said as he reached out to rub one of said bags with his thumb. "Do you want to rest on my shoulder?" Marui blinked in surprise before slowly nodding.

"If you don't mind. Thanks Akaya." Marui mumbled as he rested his head on Akaya's shoulder, yawning and closing his eyes. Akaya shifted slightly, moving the hair out of his senpai's eyes before falling asleep as well.

Three rows down, Niou fidgeted in his seat.

"I think I might go and talk to Bunta..." He finally said as he stood up. He turned round and stopped when he saw Marui with his head on Akaya's shoulder. A shot of jealously surged though him and Niou flung himself angrily back into his seat. "On second thought, never mind." Yagyuu raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he continued to read his book.

The train arrived an hour later and, after a fifteen minute bus ride, they arrived at the campsite. After quickly signing in, the team set about finding several free spaces next to each other and putting their tents up. They had four two-person tents with Jackal and Akaya in one, Sanada and Yukimura in another and Niou and Marui sharing another tent. Yagyuu was lucky enough to have a tent of his own since Yanagi was no longer on the trip.

Niou sat next to the bags, watching with mild interest as the others put the tents up. Both Marui and Yagyuu had the misfortune of having to put their tents up by themselves but the Gentleman obviously had a lot more experience camping, if the amount of casualties the redhead suffered were anything to go by. Marui had been hit on the head four times by the same pole, the tent had collapsed on him three times and had tripped over the guy rope twice. Niou watched worriedly as he started hammering the pegs into the ground. Marui was fine until he got to the last peg. A nearby car alarm went off, causing the tensai to jump and the hammer to slip. Marui yelped as the hammer hit his thumb, quickly pulling it back and sucking the injured thumb.

"Bunta!" Niou yelled as he jumped up and ran over to the redhead. "Are you okay?" He asked in concern as he gently took Marui's hand, frowning at the darkening thumb.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It isn't that serious." Marui tried to wave it off but couldn't stop himself from hissing in pain as Niou's fingers gently brushed over the bruise. Niou looked downcast.

"Sorry. I couldn't protect you…" Niou said sadly, sniffing slightly. Marui sighed silently as he used his good hand to pull Niou closer in an awkward embrace, ruffling his white hair gently.

"It's not your fault. I should've been watching what I was doing. Thank you for caring though." Marui said as Jackal came over with the first aid kit. Niou nodded as he moved out of the Brazilian's way, clinging to Marui's good arm.

"Genichirou, finish putting Marui's tent up. Yagyuu, Akaya, start putting lunch out. The blanket is in the blue and white bag." Yukimura ordered as he walked over to the remaining three. "Is your hand okay, Marui?"

"He'll be fine. It's just a bad bruise." Jackal answered for Marui as he stood up to make sure that Akaya didn't eat all the sandwiches. "It'll be almost completely healed in a few days." Yukimura nodded.

"That's good. Marui, please be more careful. You're already out of practice, you don't want to miss out on more tennis because of a broken thumb." The captain said. Marui nodded, an apologetic look on his face. Yukimura nodded once before getting up and walking over to the others who were sitting on the blanket and starting to eat.

"Are you sure you're okay, Bunta?" Niou asked again as they stood up.

"I'm sure, 'Haru. The pain's already starting to subside." Marui reassured him with a smile. "Come on, let's get some lunch."

"If you're sure…" Niou said uncertainly. "Ah, let me get that for you!"

The team watched as throughout lunch Niou tried to do everything for Marui. The redhead could barely move a finger without Niou asking what sandwich he wanted or if he was thirsty. There was even one point where Niou tried to feed Marui but the tensai managed to get him to draw the line there.

"Is it me or is Niou acting strange?" Jackal whispered as he leaned towards the others. They all nodded.

"Niou-senpai told me that he used to protect Marui-senpai from bullies when they were little. Maybe being young and seeing Marui-senpai get hurt brought that old protective streak out." Akaya suggested quietly to the others. Yukimura nodded.

"It's plausible." He agreed before raising his voice so that Niou and Marui could hear. "If we're all finished then let's have a look around town and do some food shopping." The team had decided not to bring any food and to just but stuff when they got there so they didn't have as much heavy stuff to carry on the train. Everybody nodded and started to get up but Niou pulled Marui back down.

"Yukimura, can me and Bunta stay here?" The Trickster asked. Yukimura nodded and the team left. A slightly uncomfortable silence fell over the remaining two. Marui fidgeted slightly.

"Come on, let's put this stuff away." He said suddenly as he stood up and started to clear away the lunch things.

"But Bunta! Your thumb!" Niou cried out as he jumped up. Marui held the empty sandwich box out of his reach.

"It's only bruised, 'Haru! Stop trying to protect me!" Marui said in a much louder voice than he wanted to in the hope that Niou would listen. Niou stopped moving and looked down at his feet.

"Are you mad at me, Bunta?" He asked in a small voice. Marui mentally kicked himself as he knelt down in front of Niou.

"I'm not mad at you. Why would I be mad at you?" He asked.

"Well, I was in a bad mood this morning and I took it out on you simply because you were an easy target even though I knew it would make you upset. And then, on the train, I got really jealous when I saw you sleeping with Akaya and started saying mean things about you to the others behind your back. And then, even though I knew you weren't very good at putting up tents, I still refused to help you and now you're hurt and you won't let me help you and-" Marui held up a hand to cut him off.

"I understand about this morning, I didn't know you were talking about me to the others and even if you had offered to help, I wouldn't have let you in case you got hurt. The reason I won't let you help me now is because a) it honestly doesn't hurt that much anymore and b) you are five years old. I should be the one protecting you, not the other way round. Besides, if I'm mad at anyone then it's myself." Marui said as he hugged Niou. Niou shifted the embrace and looked up at Marui.

"Why are you mad at yourself?"

"Because I'm afraid that I hurt your feelings. I had the whole team there when I woke up; you only had Yagyuu. I should've at least been there as well." Marui said as the guilt started to build up inside of him again. Niou blinked in surprise and tackled Marui, sending the surprised boy on to his back.

"You didn't hurt my feelings. I knew it was your brothers' birthday and when Yagyuu told me how upset you looked because you couldn't be there for me, I couldn't stay mad at you." Niou mumbled into Marui's chest. Marui opened his mouth but was stopped by a blushing Niou looking him in the eye. "I know I seemed mad at you this morning but that was 'cause it was early and Keisuke had seen me in this embarrassing form. I took that anger out on you because you were the easiest target, like I said. I'm really sorry." Marui smiled at the apology, wrapping one arm around the Trickster and using the other to cushion his head.

"Apology more than accepted." Marui said happily as he closed his eyes. "Come on, the others probably won't be back for a while. Let's have a nap." Marui felt Niou nod against his chest as the boy snuggled up to him. He yawned before letting nature's lullaby slowly rock him to sleep…

Marui groaned slightly as he felt somebody poke him awake. The rest of the team had come back empty handed save for a bag of Chinese and some sandwiches that they had managed to blag from a café that had been closing for the day. It had taken the team quite a while to find the small supermarket and since it apparently closed early on Mondays, the shop had been shut by the time they got there. Fortunately, they had found a small takeaway and the aforementioned café to get food from to sustain the group until the next day. The longish journey had made everyone tired so they all retired to bed early.

Marui opened his eyes and blinked as they got used to the darkness. It had to be midnight at least, it was that dark. Marui rolled on to his back and was surprised to see Niou hovering above him.

"'Haru?" He asked.

"I woke up and it was dark…" Niou said, his voice trembling slightly as he trailed off.

'_Ah, yes, 'Haru was scared of the dark when he was a kid, wasn't he?'_ Marui thought as he sat up. "Just a sec, 'Haru, I've got something that I think might help." He said as he started to rummage through his bag.

"Bunta?" Niou said uncertainly as he looked at his boyfriend weirdly, confusion in his eyes. Marui ignored the unspoken question for the moment and instead let out a cry of triumph as he found what he was looking for. He gave the item to Niou who blinked as he looked at the thing in his hands. "Is this…?"

"Tora-kun, yeah. I've got the others in my bag as well." Marui said as he pulled Niou closer. "I thought you might want him, considering what's happened. After the twins friends left, I had a look in the attic. That's why I was so tired today. Yesterday. Whatever."

"Thanks Bunta." Niou whispered as he stroked the toy tiger's soft fur. Marui smiled gently as he laid back down, bringing Niou with him.

"No problem, 'Haru. Now get some sleep, we've got a long day ahead of us." Marui yawned. "Sweet dreams, 'Haru."

"Okay. Sweet dreams, Bunta."

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**A/N:** Sooooo...did ya like it? I hope it was worth the long wait. Until the 28th November then! Bai bai!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince Of Tennis most unfortuantely. You think Seigaku would've won if I did?

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**_Chapter Three_**

"Go Uma-chan, use your ultimate attack!"

"No, not your ultimate attack! Look out Chou-kun!"

"Do not worry, Koneko-sama, I will protect him!"

"Ino-san!"

Akaya was certain that he had woken up in the wrong world that morning. He cautiously stuck his head outside the tent, scared that he would get blown to smithereens by the 'ultimate attack' if he stuck anymore of his body out, and saw Niou and Marui sitting on the grass nearby with a throng of cuddly toys surrounding them. He slowly stepped outside, still uncertain as to whether this was the right universe or not, and walked over to the two.

"What the bob is going on over here?" He asked bluntly. The two third years stopped their playing and looked at the seaweed head.

"Well, Oonezumi-sama has kidnapped Tora-kun's precious Kuma-chan. Tori-hime-sama has kindly lent him her royal army which consists of the Lady Koneko-sama and her butler Ino-san, Chou-kun and Shika-sensei. Unfortunately, they have come up against the Oonezumi-sama's dark guard of Karasu-kun, Uma-chan, Ookami-hakase and Inu-san. They are locked in a deadly battle for Kuma-chan and Uma-chan is about to use her ultimate attack which forces the opponent to wear a really embarrassing pink, frilly dress. But not to worry, Ino-san has Kitsune-sama, the guardian of fire, on his side and her flames can burn the dress. Karasu-kun, the sneaky ninja, however, is able to summon Orochi, the most darkest and feared creature of all legends. Tora-kun can summon the All Great and Powerful Kame-sama, though, and he is the god of all the land. It will be a fierce show down between the two and-"

"Stop! Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!" Akaya yelled, waving his hands about wildly. Niou and Marui stopped in surprise (they had been speaking in unison).

"Aww, but we were just getting to the part where the beautiful Ahiru-sama and the powerful Saru-sama come and-"

"I don't care!" Akaya snapped. "Let me ask you a simpler question: What is with all the toys?"

"They're mine and 'Haru's old toys, mostly 'Haru's though. We used to spend hours playing with them when we were younger." Marui explained. "'Haru was a lot nicer when he was a little kid and used to have so many toys. But then we entered middle school and became a bad boy. It felt a shame to throw away all these memories so I kept them in my attic. When 'Haru turned chibi, I thought he might like it if I got the whole gang out and we reminisced a little."

"Thank you for explaining, Marui-senpai, that clears up a lot. I was very confused when I woke up." Akaya admitted grumpily. "Which toys are yours? I thought you only had Kuma-chan."

"Let's see, Kuma-chan, Tori-hime-sama, Chou-kun, Kitsune-sama and Ahiru-sama are mine. Kuma-chan is my favourite though, just like how Tora-kun is 'Haru's favourite." Marui said.

"Aww, Niou, I never knew you had such a soft side!" The trio looked round to see the rest of the team coming out of their tents. Yukimura had been the one who had spoken. Niou scowled a little.

"I didn't. Everybody plays with soft toys when they're little." He said matter-of-factly. Marui grinned and was about to say something when he was interrupted.

"They do?" Everybody turned round to look at Sanada who looked slightly confused.

"Everybody except Fukubuchou." Niou amended, all of them looking at Sanada sympathetically. Sanada felt like he had missed out on a great thing indeed.

"Tarundoru." He muttered, pulling his hat down.

"What are we doing today?" Yagyuu asked Yukimura, successfully pulling the spotlight away from Sanada (they really should've known better than to give Akaya the torch).

"Well, there is a small beach nearby so I was planning on taking everybody swimming and running on the sand to build up leg muscles but since the shops were closed, we'll need to put that plan off until another day so we can get some food." Yukimura said frowning slightly.

"I can go get the food if you want. I haven't been into town yet and since I'll probably have to go eventually, I might as well go sooner rather than later. Besides, carrying bags will help me build up my arm muscles." Marui offered as he stood up and brushed a few stray blades of grass off his shorts. Niou stood up as well, helping Marui to pick up the soft toys.

"I'll go with you. I refuse to wear a girls swimming costume." He said. Yukimura nodded understandingly.

"Okay. Yagyuu, can you get the sandwiches out of your tent? Niou and Marui, take a couple of sandwiches each and then go. Since you'll most likely get back before us, practice on your swings, Marui." He said. The two nodded and fifteen minutes later they were walking to town. They quickly found the shop thanks to the others directions. Marui looked at the list that he'd been given as they walked round the shop.

"Ah, 'Haru, can you pass me the bread that's to your right?" The redhead asked. Niou nodded and the duo carried on as such, Marui carrying everything and occasionally asking Niou to grab something that he couldn't easily get himself.

"Man, now I know why Okaa-chan's so strong! These bags are heavy!" Niou complained as they walked back to the campsite about an hour and a half later.

"Do you want to carry them?" Marui offered, stopping and bending down to take them. Niou moved away, holding on to the bags protectively.

"No, you're already carrying most of the bags! And you've given me the lightest bags!" He protested. Marui backed away, smiling slightly.

"Okay, okay. Just tell if your arms get tired, though." He said as he carried on walking, Niou following behind him. They were just walking past a small café that was emitting some delicious smells when Marui heard a small grumble. He looked up at the sky to see if there was a storm but the sky was a clear blue with hardly any clouds. Marui frowned slightly as there was another grumble before realising that it was coming from behind him from Niou. The redhead glanced at his watch. They had actually woken up slightly late and their breakfast had been hardly substantial so it stood to reason that Niou was hungry. "Want to get some lunch?" Marui almost laughed at the grateful look that Niou gave him.

They sat down in the café, talking as they waited for their food. Niou now understood how hard it was for Marui to act like a five-year-old since more than once he had to catch himself and stop himself from saying words that no five-year-old should know. Fortunately, the café was almost completely empty and there only seemed to be three members of staff at the most, two of which stuck to the kitchen most of the time.

"'Ere ya go, two burgers and chips, one cola and one strawberry milkshake. Enjoy!" The waitress chirped as she sat the items down. Marui and Niou both thanked her as they tucked in and she giggled slightly. "Aww, you two are so cute! Are you brothers?" Niou opened his mouth to say yes but Marui beat him to the punch.

"No, our parents are friends and I agreed to look after 'Haru so that they could have time to themselves." The tensai said dismissively as he reached for his milkshake. The girl giggled again and was about to say more when somebody interrupted her.

"Kajimoto-chan, where did you put all the spoons?" A man called from the kitchen. The girl gave one last giggle and waved flirtatiously at Marui before running back to the kitchen.

"Honestly, what is it with girls and giggling?" Niou grumbled quietly. He looked up at Marui. "So I'm just a family friend, huh? Don't you like the thought of me being your brother?" Marui sighed as he reached over to ruffle Niou's white fluffy hair.

"Hey, I might be gay but I'm not into incest. This way I'm just a paedophile, not an incestuous one." He whispered back to Niou. The chibi Trickster blushed slightly as he pulled his drink closer, fumbling with the straw slightly to distract himself from his red face.

"I guess that makes sense…" He mumbled. "But, just so ya know, paedophilia is frowned on more by society then incest." It was Marui's turn to blush as he withdrew his hand.

"If that's what you think then you're not getting the surprise I got for you when we get back." Marui huffed slightly. Niou looked up slightly alarmed.

"Surprise? What surprise? Come on, tell meee." He whined slightly. Marui pursed his lips as he turned his head to the side.

"Nope, not telling."

"Bunta!"

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They got back to the tents about half an hour later, Niou trying to guess what the surprise was. Marui refused to say anything until all the food was in Yagyuu's tent, the opted place for storing all the food since there was only one person sleeping in tent. Niou pouted slightly but agreed as he helped Marui to neatly stack the bags. Niou waited outside as Marui ducked into their tent. He heard a few muttered words and curses as Marui looked for the surprise, obviously having placed at the bottom of his bag and not being happy about messing up all his clothes. After a few minutes, Marui exited the tents with his hands hidden behind his back.

"Well, when I turned chibi I missed playing tennis and I was really annoyed when I realised how far I had fallen behind you guys and I knew you would be annoyed too if that happened and I knew I had the old toy rackets that we used to play with when we were younger so when I was looking for the toys I got them out too and here they are." Marui finally finished rambling as he took his hands from behind his back and gave Niou the racket. The Trickster looked down at the old battered red racket before suddenly hugging the redhead.

"Thank you. No wonder you were so tired yesterday if you spent all night looking through that chaotic attic of yours for all this stuff." Niou said as he pulled back slightly. "And you weren't that far behind! I only said that to make you feel better about losing and I just completely undid all that, didn't I?" Marui laughed a little as Niou's voice suddenly went from happy to pouty.

"I might not have been that far behind but I still was. Besides, there's still the fact that you'll probably miss playing tennis." He said as he pushed Niou back slightly and took a couple of tennis balls out of his pocket. "Are ya ready?"

When the others got back, some still shaking sea water from their hair, they saw Marui and Niou playing a small match. The self-proclaimed tensai was kneeling with his tennis racket in hand whilst Niou was running about and returning all the balls that were hit. One of the balls was hit just out of Marui's reach and he fell over as he tried to get it.

"Sorry, Bunta. Again." Niou said as he ran over to help the redhead up.

"It's okay, 'Haru. Again." Marui replied as he tried to reach the ball without moving from his spot. They both looked up when a hand picked the neon yellow sphere. "Hey guys."

"Hey Marui-senpai, Niou-senpai. Marui-senpai, you need to stop being so lazy and work harder if you're being beaten by a kid." Akaya said as he dropped the ball into his senpai's awaiting hands. Marui scowled.

"Respect your senpais, seaweed head." He shot back. Akaya fumed.

"Hey!" Marui just shrugged.

"I'm just saying what I see." He said as he pointed at the second-years hair. Akaya looked at him confusedly and reached up to feel his hair. His confusion only increased when he felt something and picked it out to reveal that a long piece of seaweed had been hiding in his hair.

"How did that get there?" He mused aloud in bafflement. Behind him, Marui and Niou could see Yagyuu and Jackal giving each other a small high five.

'_I thought I was supposed to be the evil doubles partner...'_ They both thought as they made mental notes not to annoy the pair any time soon.

"Did you guys have fun at the beach?" Marui asked as he stood up, dusting his knees off before picking Niou up.

"Hey, put me down!" The mini Trickster protested. Marui shook his head stubbornly.

"No way, you guys kept picking me up but nobody's done it to you yet. I'm just making things fair." He said as he nuzzled into Niou's soft hair. "So how was the beach?" Akaya immediately started gushing on about how much fun they'd had, Marui nodding and laughing every now and then as he kept a firm hold on Niou. The Trickster scowled slightly but slowly got used to being so high up off the ground. He liked being held so gently and close to his boyfriend. The scowl soon melded into a look of interest as he got over being picked up, letting his head rest on the redhead's shoulder.

Later that night, Marui and Niou were in their tent. They were both in their pyjamas and Marui was reading. He had stacked the two suitcases on top of each other so that he had something to lean back again whilst reading. Marui looked up from his book when Niou knelt by his elbow.

"Yes?" He questioned curiously as he placed his bookmark between the pages and set the novel down. As soon as the book was on the floor, Niou scrambled on to his lap.

"You said that you picked me up to make things fair. To continue making things fair, I am going to sleep with you." Niou said with a triumphant pout (don't ask me how that works) as he pulled his sleeping bag over them and snuggled up to Marui. "Night." Marui sighed slightly but carefully looped an arm round Niou as he reached over to turn the lamp off. He settled back against the slightly uncomfortable bags as he closed his eyes.

"Night."

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you liked the chapter. I would say when the next chapter is but I'm feeling to bleurgh to figure it out. It'll be up in two weeks hopefully. Until then. Bye.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, here's another chapter of chibiness! I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer:** I very unfortunately do not own Prince Of Tennis. Maybe somebody could get it me for Christmas?

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**_Chapter Four_**

Marui woke up first the next morning, carefully stretching as he tried his best not to wake the still sleeping chibi. His efforts went to waste, though, as Niou stirred and sat up yawning.

"Mornin'." He managed to yawn out. Marui returned the sentiment and they both quickly got dressed before exiting the tent and joining the rest of the team outside.

"What we doing today?" Marui asked as Jackal handed him a plate of baked beans, sausages and toast. Yukimura swallowed before answering.

"Well, as well as having a beach, you've probably noticed that this place is quite hilly so I was thinking that we could go on a hike. After breakfast Jackal, Sanada and I are going to be making some sandwiches for a picnic lunch. Any filling requests?" Niou and Marui both shook their heads.

About an hour later, they were all ready. They set off, Yukimura at the front with a map that he had procured from seemingly nowhere. Marui walked at the back of the group beside Niou who had insisted that he walk by himself and keep up. The hills were covered with lush forests that provided cool shade in place of the beating sun. They walked for several hours before coming across a wide stream that separated two hills. The only way to get across it was by stepping stones that protruded about an inch above the water. The team form a semi-orderly line and started to cross.

"You go first, 'Haru." Marui said, standing back so the other could get by. Niou nodded as he cautiously made his way across, Marui only ever a stone away at all times. Everything was going fine until Niou got to about the middle. The stones were slightly wet from the wind blowing water over them and the one in the middle had a slight indent that had allowed a puddle to form. Niou slipped as he put his foot down on the puddle, yelping as he felt himself falling towards the water. Marui quickly lunged forward, pulling Niou to his chest and spinning round so that he landed in the stream. The stream wasn't that deep, barely making it up to Marui's waist as he landed. Marui winced as his bottom hit the gravely bed and shivered slightly at the cold water as Yagyuu and Jackal waded through the water to help them up.

"Are you two okay?" Jackal asked as he and Yagyuu each grabbed one of Marui's elbows and hauled him and Niou up, the chibi Trickster held securely in the redhead's arms. Marui nodded.

"I'm fine. You okay, 'Haru?" He asked worriedly. Niou nodded as well as Marui walked towards the bank. He wriggled slightly in Marui's arms and the tensai put him down when they got on dry land. Marui pulled his soak shorts away from his skin, sticking his tongue out in disgust. "Urghh, so wet…"

"Let's stop here for lunch. There aren't many trees here so the sun will dry your clothes out quickly." Yukimura said as he held his hand out to Sanada to give him the blanket. They quickly got out the sandwiches, sitting down in some circular looking shape. It only took the about them about fifteen minutes to clear all the sandwiches.

"Man, those were good sandwiches!" Akaya said as he sat back and rubbed his stomach satisfactorily. "Anybody want to play a game of Tag?"

"Akaya, I haven't played that since I was five." Marui deadpanned.

"I don't remember playing tag a month ago." Akaya said with a thoughtful look, a small smile playing on his lips. Marui opened and closed his mouth a few times before shutting it for good, shaking his head with a small grin.

"For that one I think you deserve a game of Tag." He said as he stood up, brushing the crumbs off his clothes and doing some light stretches. Everybody else besides Sanada and Yagyuu followed suit. After a few quick and messy rounds of ro-sham-bo they decided to make Akaya it since he was the one who suggested the game. Akaya gave them all a five second head start before running after Marui.

"I'm gonna get you, Marui-senpai!" Akaya shouted gleefully as he slowly gained on the redhead.

"Akaya, stop picking on me just 'cause I'm the slowest!" Marui wailed as he desperately put on extra burst of speed. His actions were futile, however, as Akaya easily caught up with him and pounced on the volley specialist. Marui fell to the floor with a small 'oomph', grimacing slightly as pain shot up his back as Akaya landed on top of him.

"You're it, Marui-senpai!" The second year laughed as he scrambled off of Marui and started to run away. "By the way, no tag backs!"

"I know that!" Marui yelled as he quickly clambered to his feet, running after the others. They all let him come tantalisingly close before quickly evading his grasp, leaving a pouting Marui behind. After he failed to catch the Jackal for the third time, Marui looked round to see if there was anybody who might take pity on him. His eyes fell on Niou. Marui felt slightly bad for deciding to go after Niou since, because he was five, his legs were naturally a lot shorter than everybody else's so he wouldn't be to run as fast but the others were more likely to take pity on him and let him catch them and Marui was starting to get slightly annoyed.

"Sorry 'Haru!" Marui shouted as he bounded after the chibi. He easily caught up with Niou but just as he was about to tag the Trickster, Marui tripped a protruding tree root and tagged Niou with more force than necessary. Niou fell to the ground as Marui hopped to keep his balance so as not fall on top of the other. "Sorry 'Haru…" Niou just nodded as he picked himself up, sniffling quietly. Marui moved to comfort him but the rest of the team beat him to it. Yukimura picked the chibi up carefully as Sanada turned to the redhead.

"Tarundoru!" Sanada slapped Marui hard. "Marui, fifty laps up and down the hill, now!" Marui wanted to know what constituted a lap but the look on Sanada's face scared him and he clammed up as he began to run.

Marui was panting heavily by the time he finished his laps and his legs felt like jelly but he didn't have time to rest as the team set off again on their hike. He once again hung at the back with Niou, though this time it was partly because he was too tired to walk up at the front rather than because he wanted to keep Niou company. He looked guilty at the plasters on Niou's knees and right hand.

"'Haru, do you want a piggyback?" He offered. Niou shook his head.

"No, I'm fine, Bunta." He said dismissively. Akaya looked back at the two.

"Hey, Niou-senpai, I just realised: You're not saying 'puri' anymore." He said in slight amazement.

"That's because I didn't even know Yanagi when I was five so I hadn't drank that stupid Puri Tea and started to say 'puri'." Niou told him, scowling slightly at the memory. Oh, how he hated Yanagi for forcing that foul stuff down his throat.

They walked for half an hour making small talk when Niou suddenly jogged up to Yagyuu.

"Hey, Yagyuu, can you carry me? My legs are tired." He said. Yagyuu nodded and everybody besides Marui melted slightly at the cute sight. Marui had to admit that he felt slightly upset by Niou's actions but pasted on a smile for everybody else's sake for the rest of the hike.

* * *

Niou found himself staring at the fire that night, slowly drifting of into a trance. He quickly caught himself before he fell over and rubbed the sleep that was starting to gather in his eyes. Marui had gone into the tent half an hour earlier to read his book and Niou decided to join him.

Marui looked as Niou ducked inside.

"Hey 'Haru. Are you tired?" He asked as he began to reach for the Trickster's pyjamas. Niou shook his head.

"No. Well, yeah, a little bit, but I actually came to see how you were." He said. Marui blinked confusedly.

"To see how I was?" The redhead repeated in puzzlement. Niou nodded.

"Yeah. I think I might've hurt your feelings this afternoon by asking Yagyuu to carry me even though you offered." Niou told him. Marui made to shake his head but a look from Niou made him stop. Akaya was right, Niou's glares were scarier when he was a kid. He nodded hesitantly.

"I was a little upset…" He admitted slowly. Niou became downcast and Marui looked stricken. "I don't blame you for wanting Yagyuu to carry you! I mean, he's a lot stronger than me so there's less chance of you being accidentally dropped and I'm a boring guy so I can see why you wouldn't want to spend all your time with me."

"Eh, Bunta, you're not boring! It's just that you've been rubbing your back all day so I was worried that you hurt your back." Niou said. Marui looked slightly surprised.

"I have? I didn't really notice. I just slept in a slightly weird position last night, that's all. I'm fine so don't worry." Marui smiled reassuringly but his words seemed to have the opposite effect to what he wanted.

"I'm sorry. I'm the one that made you sleep in a weird position last night. I bet having Akaya land on your back and falling in that stream to catch me didn't help either." Niou said as he looked at the ground sadly.

"Stop worrying, 'Haru, it isn't your fault. My back is completely fine." Marui tried to reassure him again.

"Then why are you rubbing your back?" Niou said accusingly. Marui blinked in surprise, slowly moving his hand from his back and looking at it.

"I didn't realise…"

"That means you've gotten used to the pain. That's bad, Bunta. If you get used to the pain then you won't realise when it gets worse and you could hurt yourself really badly." Niou said seriously as he tugged Marui over to the less bumpy side of the tent and gently pushed him down. "Lie down flat on your back, that should help." Marui nodded.

"Okay. God, I'm useless at times, aren't I? You're five-years-old so I should be the one taking care of you but you're taking better care of me then I can of myself." Marui said, a slightly twisted smile on his lips.

"Actually, technically we're both fifteen so the healthy one should take care of the unhealthy one. I'm okay whilst you have a bad back so it's okay for me to look after you." Niou said as he laid down next to Marui, resting his head on the violet-eyed boy's shoulder and wrapping his small arms round Marui as best as he could. Marui gently pulled him into a hug of his own.

"Thanks 'Haru…"

* * *

**A/N:** I hope you liked it this chapter! Niou and Marui are so cute! The next chapter should hopefully be up on Boxing Day but I might be a little late because I have a serious case of schoolitis i.e. mock exams and homework. *sigh* School is evil...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading and until next time! Bai bai!


	5. Chapter 5

Nya, sorry this came kinda late in the day. I was busy watching my sister and mother playing Just Dance 2. That reminds, did everybody have a nice Christmas? Was everybody good and get nice presents from Santa?

**IMPORTANT: I have very important exams in January that fall around when I'm supposed to put the next chapter up. As a result, the next chapter will be very late, probably appearing sometime around the beginning of February. Also, the next chapter will be the last chapter. Sorry if this causes any inconvenience!**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Prince Of Tennis.

**_

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_**

**_Chapter Five_**

Akaya woke with a start. He had no idea what time it was, though he knew it was early since Jackal was still asleep, and he had no idea what had woken him. Deciding that there was no point in just lying there and doing nothing, Akaya got up. He quickly got dressed and went to unzip the tent flap. The flap fell open and Akaya stepped out-

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

-just as three water balloons came flying towards him. They all hit him in the face, drenching him. Akaya moved the sopping wet hair from his eyes and glared at Niou who was rolling on the ground with laughter.

"Niou-senpai!" He roared, rushing towards the chibi. His yell woke everyone else up and they came running out of their tents. Yagyuu and Jackal quickly held Akaya back as Marui picked Niou up, holding him protectively. "Lemme at 'im, lemme at 'im! Let me have my revenge! Niou-senpai deserves everything thing that he gets!" Akaya was about to yell more but stopped when Niou started to sniff, his eyes becoming watery.

"I'm s-sorry, Akaya. I w-was j-just really b-bored and w-wanted to have s-some fun. I th-thought you would f-find the pr-prank funny." Niou stuttered out before beginning to cry. Marui glared at Akaya as he comforted Niou. The seaweed head looked guilty.

"Sorry, Niou-senpai. I'm not angry at you, honest. It's just that it's early and everything annoys me when it's early, even myself!" Akaya apologised hurriedly. Niou's tears only calmed down a little bit. "Um, um, um, you like chocolate cake, right? Right? Tell ya what, I'll go and get you some right now!" Before anybody could stop him, Akaya quickly ran off.

Marui went back to his tent to get dressed, still carrying Niou. As soon as the front was closed, Niou stopped crying. Marui looked at him in surprise and confusion before slowly smirking in realisation.

"You fake it, you little Trickster!" He laughed as he ruffled Niou's hair. Niou stuck his tongue out evilly and laughed as well. Akaya burst in at that moment.

"Liar!" The second year yelled with a pout on his lips. Marui and Niou jumped in shock.

"Akaya? I though you went to town!" Marui exclaimed.

"I forgot my wallet." Akaya explained before looking annoyed again. "Niou-senpai, you liar! You got everybody mad at me and I ran all the way to town! Do you know how many weird looks I got for running without my shoes on and how many times I stubbed my toes?"

"You ran all the way to town in less than five minutes?" Marui asked, looking and sounding impressed. Akaya glared at him.

"Marui-senpai, that isn't the point! The point is that Niou-senpai is a liar and that everybody is mad at me because of him even though I didn't do anything wrong!" He shouted. Marui's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Akaya, 'Haru is a _Trickster_! What do you expect? And nobody's mad at you, though they should be since you tried to attack a little kid!" Marui yelled at Akaya.

"That isn't a little kid! That's Niou-senpai and he deserves to be punished!"

"He's trapped in a five-year-olds body! That is close enough!"

Niou watched with worried eyes as the two argued, the fight starting to turn physical when Marui and Akaya grabbed each other's shirts. Niou snapped.

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! Stop fighting!" He shouted, tears dripping down his cheeks as he ran out of the tent.

"'Haru!" Marui shouted, running after the Trickster. He tripped over the tent's entrance and fell to the ground heavily. By the time he was on his feet again, Niou was out of sight. Marui growled. "Goddamnit…"

"Hmph. I bet he's just faking again." Akaya said crossly as he folded his arms. Marui spun round to face him, grabbing the front of his shirt angrily.

"He isn't faking it!" He yelled at Akaya. He suddenly slumped forward against Akaya, like his anger had robbed him of all his energy. "He isn't faking it… I know he isn't… I should've remembered… I should've…" Akaya blinked in surprise when he felt his shoulder becoming wet.

"Marui-senpai?" He asked uncertainly as he wrapped his arms round the redhead.

"'Haru hates seeing the people he cares about fight… I shouldn't have shouted… How could I…?" Marui cried softly. Akaya pulled him down so that they were just sitting in the tent's entrance.

"Marui-senpai, why was Niou-senpai upset?" Akaya asked quietly. Marui wiped his eyes quickly before answering.

"When we were younger, 'Haru's parents kept fighting. We were sure they were going to split up. Now 'Haru hates it whenever he sees people he cares about arguing." The violet-eyed boy explained as he pulled his knees to his chest.

"Split up? You mean a divorce? But I thought Niou-senpai's parents were together? They definitely were when I last saw them." Akaya said bewilderedly.

"We tried to run away. His parents got really worried and promised not to fight anymore." Marui told him.

"'We'? And how do you try to run away? You either do or you don't." Akaya said bluntly. Marui's lips twitched slightly.

"Fine, I'll tell you…"

_Flashback_

"_I'm running away." Niou announced suddenly as he and Marui made their way to the school gates after school. Marui looked up at him in surprise._

"_Masaharu-san?" He called out uncertainly, shifting his grip on Kuma-chan and timidly putting a hand on Niou's shoulder._

"_Kaa-chan and Tou-chan keep fighting. I hate it. I'm running away." Niou repeated, raising a hand to wipe away his tears furiously. In doing so, he accidentally knocked Marui's hand away. The redhead flinched slightly but before he could shrink away, Niou grabbed his hand. "Run away with me, Bunta-chan! I don't wanna go by myself but I can't stay here!" Marui bit his lip._

"_Masaharu-san…"_

"_Please, Bunta-chan!" Niou pleaded, looking into his friend's violet eyes beseechingly. Marui's eyes darted about and he shifted from foot to foot nervously. His eyes settled on Niou's and he nodded hesitantly. Niou smiled at him and hugged Marui tightly. "Thank you, Bunta-chan!"_

"_It's okay, Masaharu-san. After all, we're friends, right?" Marui smiled weakly. Niou pulled back and nodded exuberantly. He took Marui's hand and tugged on it gently._

"_Come on, let's go. There's no time like now." Niou said as he began to lead Marui away from the school and in the opposite direction of their houses. Marui nodded slightly as he followed his friend._

_The two walked for what seemed like hours to their little legs but was really only just over one. Marui and Niou talked quietly as they walked, their breath coming out in small pants. Marui looked up at the sky._

"_Masaharu-san, is it me or is getting darker?" He asked, a small amount of fear creeping into his voice. Niou looked up as well and saw black clouds creeping across the sky._

"_It looks like a storm's coming, Bunta-chan." Niou answered worriedly, both boys moving closer to each other. Marui tugged on Niou's hand slightly._

"_Masaharu-san, maybe we should head back." Marui suggested quietly, shivering slightly as the wind picked up. Niou shook his head stubbornly._

"_No! I said we're running away so we're going through with it!" Niou said loudly. Marui shied away and nodded. Niou felt guilty for forcing his shy friend into doing this but he couldn't stay with his parents fighting all the time and he didn't want to run away by himself. Niou hugged Marui gently before taking his hand again and pulling Marui along._

_They walked for another half an hour. By this time, the rain had started and was coming down heavily. Niou and Marui were shivering non-stop._

"_Masaharu-san…" Marui whimpered quietly. Niou looked at him before tugging the redhead under a tree, hugging him tightly and rubbing his arms to create some warmth. There was a sudden crash of thunder and a flash of lightning and both the boys screamed. Marui burst into tears. "Masaharu-san, I wanna go home!"_

"_I want to too, Bunta-chan, but I don't know where we are!" Niou was beginning to cry as well. Niou and Marui clung to each other as they sank to the ground, crying and shivering in each others arms. Niou didn't know how long they sat there for but after a long while a police car pulled up in front of them. A policewoman got out and went over and knelt down in front of them._

"_Is one of you Niou Masaharu?" She asked softly. Niou nodded, rubbing his eyes. She smiled at them and held out a hand. "Let's get you home, Masaharu-kun. Your parents are really worried about you." Niou looked up at her._

"_They're worried about me? They aren't fighting?" He asked. The policewoman nodded and Niou felt happiness surge through him. He stood up and pulled Marui to his feet as well. "Come on, Bunta-chan, we can go home now." Marui nodded, sniffing quietly as they climbed into the police car. The policewoman turned round to make sure that they had buckled up their seatbelts._

"_Is this your friend, Masaharu-kun? He has to be a very good friend to agree to run away with you." She commented. Niou nodded with a smile._

"_Yeah, Bunta-chan's my best friend." He said as he hugged Marui tightly. Marui hugged him back, snuggling into the slight warmth that Niou provided. The policewoman smiled at them as she turned back round._

_Niou's parents were waiting worriedly in the doorway as the police car pulled up. They ran up to their son as he climbed out of the car, picking him up and hugging him tightly._

"_Oh Masaharu! We were so worried! Why did you run away?" His mother exclaimed, kissing Niou all over his face and practically squeezing the breath out of him. Niou bit his lip lightly._

"_You and Tou-chan kept fighting. I don't like it when you're arguing." He whispered, hiding his face in his mother's shoulder. Niou's father wrapped his arms round the two._

"_Son, we're sorry. We've sorted it all out. We promise we won't fight again, we promise. Please don't scare us like that again." His father said. Niou sniffed as he put his arms round both his parents' necks. The policewoman cleared her throat and the family broke apart slightly._

"_Sorry but I was just wondering about this little one." She said, putting a gently hand on Marui's head. Niou's father went over to pick Marui up._

"_Oh, Bunta, did you go with Masaharu?" Niou's mother cried out softly, shifting Niou in her arms so she could stroke Marui's hair. "Bunta often comes over to play after school. We'll drive him back." The policewoman nodded and left. "Come on inside, we'll give you some of Masaharu's clothes, Bunta." The small group made their way into the house. As they made their way inside, Marui caught Niou's hand and smiled at him. Niou grinned back._

"…_and they lived happily ever after." Niou's mother finished reading the story just as her husband walked into the bedroom. He had just got back from dropping Marui off. He walked over to the bed and sat next to Niou, the boy close to falling asleep. "Welcome back, Masaru."_

"_Hey Misaki, Masaharu." He greeted as he kissed his wife's cheek and Niou on the head. "How's my little boy?"_

"_Happy." Niou answered with a smile as he snuggled under his duvet, each hand holding one of his parents'. They both smiled gently at their son as he fell asleep. Just before he drifted off completely, Niou whispered one last thing. "And they lived happily ever after…"_

_End Flashback_

"'Haru's parents kept their promise and they've been one big happy family ever since." Marui finished. Akaya squeezed his hand lightly.

"I'm glad Niou-senpai's parents sorted it out. I'll apologise to him as soon as he gets back." He promised. Akaya frowned slightly as he noticed that, despite it being still early morning, it was getting darker. There was suddenly a pitter-pattering sound as rain began to fall. "Ah, Jackal said yesterday that on the radio they said it would rain today." Marui stood up abruptly.

"'Haru hated storms when he was a kid. I need to go find him." Marui said shortly before quickly running off in the direction that he had seen Niou go in.

Marui ran for ages, shouting at the top of his voice. After a while he had to come to a stop, bending forward and putting his hands on his knees as he panted heavily. He stood up and cupped his hands round his mouth.

"'HARU!" He yelled at the top of his hoarse voice. Marui heard a small sob from nearby and quickly ran in that direction. Marui found Niou curled up under a tree, crying quietly. "'Haru!" Niou looked up in surprise.

"Bunta…" He whispered as Marui ran over and hugged him fiercely.

"'Haru, I'm so sorry!" Marui apologised sincerely, pulling back slightly so he could look Niou in the eye.

"Bunta, it's not your fault! It-" Niou started but Marui cut him off.

"No, it is. I know what it's like to be chibi. I know how all your memories from when you were younger become clearer and how all the fears that seem stupid now suddenly don't seem so stupid. I know all that but I still fought with Akaya. I'm sorry." Marui said as he stood up with Niou in his arms. "Come on, let's go back." Niou immediately began struggling.

"But Bunta! You're back!" Niou cried out as he futilely tried to escape from Marui's grasp. The redhead just pulled him closer.

"Masaharu, stop!" Niou instantly froze. Marui only used his full name when he was serious. "You need to stop protecting me so much, I can look after myself. You are much more important than my back."

"But-"

"Masaharu, I know what you said yesterday but doesn't change the fact that you are trapped in the body of a five-year-old. You are restricted to doing what five-year-olds are able to do so I need to help you until you're your real age again, not the other way round. Right now I am a lot older than you and therefore am responsible for protecting you." Niou didn't say anything as Marui finished his small speech, instead just wrapping his arms round Marui's neck gratefully as they ran back to camp.

Marui practically dived back into the camp, quickly setting Niou down and zipping up the tent. He turned round and saw that their clothes and some towels had been set out. Marui smiled slightly and sent a mental thank you to Akaya as he grabbed a towel and began drying Niou off.

"Hey, I just noticed, you're still wearing your pyjamas." Niou suddenly spoke up from under the fluffy towel. Marui stopped and he looked down to see that he was indeed still wearing his favourite green pyjamas with little red apples and strawberries, albeit a little damper than they had been.

"Yes I am." He said before laughing, Niou chuckling along. They stopped after a while, Niou pulling the towel down so he could smile at Marui.

"Thanks, Bunta." Niou said softly. Marui wiped the last of the tears of laughter from his eyes and smiled gently at the chibi Trickster.

"It's okay, 'Haru." Marui said as he hugged Niou. The chibi clung to him, burying his face in the redhead's chest. "Sorry again." Niou shook his head, sniffling a little.

"No, it's fine. It's just that I can't wait until I'm back to normal. I didn't get to say goodbye to Kaa-chan and Tou-chan." Niou sniffed quietly. Marui hugged him tighter.

"Don't worry, 'Haru, you'll be back to normal soon. I promise." He said soothingly. Niou pulled back and looked at him slightly sceptically.

"How can you promise?"

"I'll threaten Yanagi using your blackmail." Niou snorted and Marui laughed softly as well as he helped Niou to change into some dry clothes. As soon as Marui had changed out of his saturated pyjamas, Niou moved back into his arms.

"Thanks for helping me, Bunta." Marui hugged him gently, blushing lightly as he replied.

"Anytime, 'Haru. I love you."

* * *

**A/N:** Nya, the flashback came out longer than expected! I hope I didn't hurt anybody's eyes with all the italics... Sorry if I did!

Sorry once again about the change in schedule for the next chapter. Until February! Bai bai!


	6. Chapter 6

Okay, so here's the last chapter of A Little Love 2: The Mini Trickster. Sorry you all had to wait so long for it but think of it as my Valentine's Day present to all of you. I hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the masterpiece that is called Prince Of Tennis. Fact.

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**_Chapter Six_**

It was mid-afternoon and it was relatively calm for once. I say relatively because you can never expected complete calmness with Rikkai but this was most certainly one of their calmer moments. Niou and Marui were playing with their soft toys again and they had managed to rope Akaya in since, once he had gotten over the craziness and weirdness, the second year quite liked the fast-paced, overly clichéd, childish story. Yukimura was watching them with a happy, relaxed smile on his face. He had one hand tightly holding Sanada's wrist to stop the other from running away since the fukubuchou looked like he wanted to kill himself for watching Marui, Niou and Akaya's antics. In the background, Jackal and Yagyuu were discussing techniques for controlling unruly doubles partners and equally unpredictable kouhai.

Everything changed when Yanagi arrived.

"Yanagi-senpai, what are you doing here?" Akaya exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, abandoning the toys as he ran over to Yanagi.

"Sadaharu and I worked night and day to make a new cure. We finished it at 2:53 this morning and I caught the first train I could after I had had a quick nap." Yanagi explained, mentally sighing in relief as the murderous auras coming from Yukimura, Marui and Niou disappeared. Marui picked Niou up, hugging him as he walked over to Yanagi.

"See, 'Haru, I told you you would be back to normal soon." Marui said happily, smiling brightly at Niou. The chibi just nodded and Marui looked at with a confused frown. "You don't look very excited, 'Haru…"

"I am. It's just that I'm not looking forward to throwing up." Niou admitted as Yanagi got out a thermos that presumably held the cure.

"Do not worry, Niou. I've adjusted the recipe so you won't be sick. You'll just have to endure being unconscious for around an hour." Yanagi told Niou as he handed the thermos to Marui. Niou immediately brightened up and Marui carried him to their tent.

"Good thing we brought your normal clothes as well." Marui commented as Niou quickly changed into a T-shirt and boxers. Marui poured out a cup of the cure and handed it to Niou who gulped it down without hesitation. Niou made a face.

"Yuck. Tastes nasty." Niou complained before dropping the cup as he clutched his suddenly pounding head. Marui held him close, murmuring comforting words as Niou fell unconscious. Marui gently laid him down, brushing Niou's fringe to the side as he settled down to wait until Niou woke.

When Niou came to, the first thing he saw was Marui smiling gently down at him.

"Hey 'Haru. Nice to have you back." Marui said softly as he leaned to kiss Niou. He stopped halfway with a grimace, a hand going to hold his back as he slowly sat back up. "Sorry. God, I feel like an old man…" Niou sat up as well, pulling Marui close.

"It's okay. It's good to be back puri." Niou said as he placed little baby kisses on Marui's lips, finishing with one long, hard kiss as he guided Marui to the ground. "Here, lie down. It'll be better for your back and more comfortable for…" Marui gulped a little.

"More comfortable for what?" Marui asked before moaning and blushing a little as Niou kissed him again whilst caressing his back and legs, an idea of his own forming.

Outside the tent, Akaya shifted uncomfortably as he heard soft moans. He turned to Yukimura.

"I suppose now isn't be a good time to ask them what they want for dinner, is it?" Yukimura shook his head as guided Akaya away.

"No, Akaya. No it isn't."

**_The End_**

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry it's a little short but I hope you all enjoyed it anyway. Well, that is officially the end of A Little Love 2: A Mini Trickster. I hope you all enjoyed the story and feel free to make requests. As long as it's HaruMaru then I should be able to write. Well, I guess that's everything. Peace out!


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